Destruction Of A Princess
by Mynd's Matter
Summary: The softer side of Vegeta comes out, but only in a great tradgedy.


Title: Destruction of a Princess  
Author: Kikyo   
Rated: PG  
Length: Um… kinda short.  
Summary: Get out your tissues. It's sad. The title kind of gives it away.  
  
  
  
All DBZ characters belong to Akira Toriyama. I just borrowed them.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bra tightened her ponytail with a tug as she trudged into the kitchen. She was bored. Her seven-year-old eyes scanned the room. Her mother was stirring something yummy smelling on the stove. Bra bounded over to her and gazed up.  
"Okaasan?"  
Bulma looked away from her stew and into her daughter's big blue eyes.  
"What is it sweetie?"  
The child put on an angelic face.  
"Will you play a game with me, Okaasan?"  
Bulma sighed, "I'm sorry honey. I would love to, but I'm busy with dinner. I promise to play with you as soon as I'm free. Why don't you go play with your brother?"  
Bra's whole frame sagged and her lower lip jutted outward in a pout. She turned and slumped off to her older brother's room. She poked her head in to see Trunks and his best friend Goten watching some battle show. As if they didn't have enough of that in their every day lives. She made a disgusted face at the puny male brain and turned to leave, coming face to face with Pan. Her friend's face lit up with a grin.  
"Hey!"  
Bra returned the smile, "Thank Dende you're here..."  
She was cut off as her brother came to his door.  
"Hey!" he greeted Pan, "Episode 29 of Fighter G is on."  
Pan grinned, "Goody!"  
She headed into the room to join her uncle in front of the TV.  
"Catcha later Bra!"  
She gave her a little wave as the door to Trunk's room shut in Bra's face. She frowned and creased her brow in frustration. Crossing her arms over her chest and sneering a little, Bra wandered down the hallway towards her parent's room. She carefully pushed the door open and peeked inside. Searching the room she called out,  
"Otousan?"  
She stepped further into the room and looked around. The bed was neatly made and the room spotless. Her father wasn't there. She decided to go back to the kitchen and ask her mother. Bra crossed the living room and peeked out the window. Maybe he was on his way home. Outside the crickets chirped, the breeze blew, everything was calm. She sighed in disappointment and wandered past the kitchen. It was no use asking. Otousan wasn't home. The first thing he did whenever he got home was give his princess a hug. She walked over to the front door and pulled it open. The cool breeze hit her face and ruffled her turquoise locks. She stepped into the night air. The dewy grass wet her bare feet as she walked across it towards a large rock. She climbed onto it to sit and wait. Lying back on the rock, Bra gazed up into the sky. There were a million stars. The sky was moonless but full of bright, shinning stars. She saw the constellations and the brightest, the Northern Star. After a little while there was still no sign at all of her Daddy. Sighing unhappily, Bra scooted off the rock. Something in the woods behind her stirred. She turned towards the sound, wide-eyed. Maybe that was him. In a rush of excitement she ran towards the movement.  
"Tousan?!?"   
It had to be him! She moved through the dead leaves between the trees, her blue eyes searching the darkness. A crow cawed. Bra shivered, growing frightened. She turned in a circle. Which way had she come from? How far had she run? Chills ran up her spine and she bit her lip. Behind her a stick snapped. She gasped and ran. She ran and ran, not looking back.  
  
~~  
  
From a mountain top just beyond the woods sat an alien. He was all black. His toned body shone like metal. His wide hard eyes were deep red and his ears were long and pointed. Instead of hair, two large think antennae protruded from the back of his head and hung down his shoulders. The alien got to his feet and flexed his arms. He was trained and ready to fight. To face the powerful Earth Saiya-jins he had heard so much about. He wanted to give himself a real challenge. He chuckled and said to himself,   
"Oh Matza-Do, time for a real killing."   
Suddenly, he quieted as he felt a power nearby. It was small, but relatively strong. Could this be one of them? He strained his eyes to focus on the edge of the woods. A small girl came dashing out into the open. Her hair was loose and wild, her face dirty, and he polka-dotted dress torn at the hem. She tripped over a stone and slid to her hands and knees in the gravely sand. The child let out a small sob of pain when the sharp grains cut into her skin. She staggered to her feet. Feeling a sharp stab of pain in her knees she collapsed back down and began to cry. Matza-Do raised a brow and smirked. Could this small child be a Saiya-Jin? They were said to never cry. Then again, she was a mere child and the power he sensed from her was indeed strong for someone so young. As he gazed down upon her, sitting there, alone, crying, he felt so powerful. He held this girl's life in his hands, and he chose to crush it. He lifted his hand and aimed.  
  
~~  
  
Vegeta touched down just outside the front door of his home. He opened it and went inside to the smell of beef stew cooking. He went into the kitchen and Bulma turned to him. She smiled and set down her stirring spoon, "How was your day?"   
He nodded, "Fine" He paused and looked around, "Hmm… where's my little princess?" BBulma shrugged, "Still with the others I suppose. It's strange, she usually runs right out to meet you. Their TV is probably on too loud. Why don't you go see her and get changed out of those sweaty training clothes? Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes."   
Vegeta smirked and shook his head, "Hmm… Dinner better be ready then, Woman."   
He turned and headed for Trunks' room. He knocked on the door once and opened it. He looked around and frowned, furrowing his brow.  
"Where's your sister?" he asked Trunks. The boy shrugged.  
Pan spoke up, "She was here earlier, but then she left."  
Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, "Where did she go?"  
Pan shrugged, "I dunno…"  
Vegeta closed the door and headed for the next room over, Bra's room. He looked in through the open door. Her toys and clothes littered the floor; she hadn't cleaned it like he'd asked her. He shook his head softly. Where was she? He went down the hallway, peeking into all the rooms. She wasn't anywhere. He narrowed his eyes in worry and frustration. Maybe she had gone outside. He was out the door in a second. His sharp eyes searched the darkness. She was nowhere to be seen. But, out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of light in the distant mountains. He tensed and immediately lifted up into the air. Smoke was clearing from the plains below the mountains. Vegeta cautiously headed for it. He squinted to make out details. As the smoke blew off, it revealed a small shape slumped against the dirt. His eyes widened in horror, "No…"  
He trembled and slowly set down a few paces away. The broken, pale body of his little daughter lay in front of him.  
"No…" he breathed again in anger and clenched his fists.  
She let out a weak moan and his was at once by her side. She opened her blue eyes and gazed at him from under half-closed lids. He rested a palm against her small cheek, his eyes full of pain and anger. Who would attack a helpless child?   
She saw the anger in his expression and took a shaky breath, "Sorry… Papa…I forgot to…clean… my room…"  
His features softened and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. "It's alright Princess. I'm not mad at you."  
She managed a small smile. "Good…I knew you'd come home…soon… I waited for you…"  
Vegeta closed his eyes in deep pain and a tear slid down his cheek. Bra gasped softly and blinked back the physically pain.  
"I'm just gonna… take a nap… Love you… Papa..."  
Vegeta opened his eyes to look at her, "I love you too, Princess."  
With that the child took a last shaking breath and fell limp in his arms. He lifted his eyes and let out an ear-splitting yell of anger and hurt towards the heavens. In his anguish and frustration he started to glow with power, moving straight to level three. Fury boiled behind his eyes, when he spotted the dark figure on the mountain. It had been him. This was the SOB who had murdered, in cold blood, his helpless little girl. Vegeta was filled with rage as he gazed down on this man, no this MONSTER. He flew at him in a ball of energy and might, ready to strike the bastard down.  
  
~~  
  
Matza-Do didn't see what hit him. A flash and much pain filled him. After a time of this agony he looked into his killer's eyes for a moment. They were dark with hatred and hurt. Matza-Do's thoughts returned to the child. Was this man her father? He must be, to react so strongly.  
The alien smirked through his pain, satisfied at what anguish and pain he had caused for the Saiya-Jin. He laughed loudly. Vegeta hit him with a glare that could melt steel. It just made him laugh louder.   
He spoke, "Even if you kill me now, I will die happy knowing that I rid the Earth of at least one filthy Saiya-Jin." Vegeta roared at the alien and tightened his grip around it's neck. There was the sharp sound of bones cracking as Matza-Do let out a last horrible breath and died. Vegeta dropped the body to the rocky ground in disgust.   
"You weren't even worth the time it took to kill you."  
He powered down, his hair changing back to it's normal black color as he slowly floated back down to land beside his princess. He leaned over and lifted up her small broken form. As he cradled her in his arms a wave of fresh pain washed over him. With his eyes downcast and his face solemn he carried her home.  
  
~~  
  
Bulma looked up as the door opened,   
"Dinner will be done in a se…"Her sentence stopped short when she spotted the small form in Vegeta's arms. Her breath caught in her throat as silence clutched the room. The only sound was that of her wooden spoon clattering to the floor. Bulma's knees went out from under her and she slumped to the ground in shock. Her hands shook as she raised them to cover her face.  
"Oh… Kame… no!" She groaned, letting out a strangled sob.  
Vegeta dropped to his knees beside her. Tears streaming down her face, Bulma reached out her hands to smooth Bra's hair away from her closed eyes.  
"Oh… my baby…"  
She slid her arms up and around Vegeta's neck and buried her head in his strong shoulder. She cried silently, clinging to him tightly. Soon her tears soaked through his shirt, Vegeta wanted to tell her to stop, that tears were a sign of weakness, and that crying would not bring their daughter back. Yet as he looked down at Bra's small, pale body he felt a stinging emptiness in his heart. He longed for her to be alive once more. If only he had been home… she would have never gone outside alone.   
Bulma shifted so that her back was to him, her knees pulled up against her chest. She was sort of staring off into space. Vegeta stood and placed his daughter's body on a nearby bench, covering her with a white tablecloth. He crossed back over to Bulma and pulled her up into his arms. She was shaken, still in shock. She tensed at his touch, balling her hands into fists. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, dried tears stained her cheeks, and mascara blurred around her eyelids. She let out a shaky sob.  
"Why…?"  
In anger, she pounded his chest with her fists.  
"Kame… why…?"  
Unclenching her fists, Bulma rested her hands on his shoulders. Vegeta was pained. He raised a hand to gently smooth her soft blue hair.  
"Shh, Kanojo, I know."  
She pulled closer to him and hung on as if for dear life. Like a boat clings to it's anchor.  
  
~~   
  
Trunks waved goodbye to his best friend Goten who flew off with his niece towards home. Trunks went inside and closed the door behind him. The house seemed quiet. Then he heard the soft, yet familiar sound of his mother crying. He grimaced, hoping his father hadn't hurt her feelings again. Shaking his head trunks went towards the kitchen. He looked inside and was distressed and somewhat confused by what he saw. His mother was crying in his father's arms. He'd never known them to display affection, or his father to show concern. But then he noticed the look of pain upon Vegeta's face. Was…? His father was crying too!? But why? Trunks' gaze fell on the tablecloth draped over the bench. There was something unnerving about it. He brought his hand up to his mouth. Oh hell…   
Vegeta raised his eyes to see the boy staring a something. He locked eyes with his son. The boy's eyes held a question, but he must already know the answer. All Vegeta could do was nod as he tightened his grip around his mate. She was calming now, having cried herself dry, but he didn't want to let go.   
Trunks was filled with a horrible pain when it dawned on him that his little sister was dead. It was his fault. If he had been nicer to her, let her play with them, instead of just brushing her off. He treated her like a helpless little girl. Was that what had made her run off and get killed? He felt ashamed. He leaned against the doorway and slowly slid to the ground. His heart felt as heavy as lead in his chest. As he glanced around the room his eyes fell upon the Dragon Radar Device. It sat on the counter beside the sink. As he recalled you could wish for anything with the Dragon Balls. They hadn't been used in his lifetime… that he could think of. He sat there, staring at the device, deep in thought. He leaned over and snatched it up. His eyes glittered with the thought. He could find them.  
  
  
~~ End  
  
Good? No? 


End file.
